Popular English Memes: Amusing Journey through Internet Joke Culture

The English language is constantly evolving, developing newly coined words in its dictionary each year. So, English learners, brace yourself, as vocabulary words are coming. If you didn’t get the joke, then you definitely need to delve into the world of popular English memes.

One of the freshly added words is “meme,” meaning “cultural Internet joke,” officially introduced to the dictionary. In this article, we’ll talk about the phenomenon of memes and how those funny pictures can help you learn English.

Introduction to Funny Memes Pictures

Merriam-Webster defines “meme” as a trending idea, habit, or style an online community perceives as amusing. This term was introduced to the English vocabulary in May 2015, along with other emerging words like “emoji” and “clickbait.” 

Even progressive people have long found memes puzzling. What is their origin? What exactly do they mean? In September 2018, researchers from multiple colleges investigated viral memes to see how they affected communities. The results show that some are simply for entertainment, while others are intended to promote political beliefs.

Memes are those funny pictures that evolve into a cultural phenomenon. Each is based on the particular character’s style or demeanor that’s become viral. The shared image or video can stay the same, but the text is slightly changed to fit the specific situation and convey the desired effect.

Since their arrival, memes have become popular in the digital world to describe humorous ideas that spread quickly online. However, they aren’t just funny pictures or jokes; they reflect the current trends and cultural movements. By studying the latest and most popular memes, you can see what’s happening in society, capturing trends, humor, and opinions. 

Memes and Social Media

We all strive to find the right words to convey our emotions, but sometimes simple words are insufficient. Memes are actually a new form of communication. With suitable visuals, you can express your mood and attitude to hit the bull’s eye.

That’s why most famous memes have been generated on social media, like Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter, 4chan, Facebook, and Reddit. These hotspots gather billions of people who share news and promote trending topics, and the most creative ones come up with relevant memes that reflect those dynamics.

If you haven’t seen them in your language, you’ve probably come across some of the best memes ever, like Grumpy Cat or that classic troll face. Memes can be compared to a cold. Someone catches it and passes it along to their online fellows. Then those friends share it with others. Instantaneously, the whole Internet knows that one cat’s expression.

Basically, memes are like snapshots of what people are drawn to and find amusing and/or important at any given time. So, you need to embrace the power of memes, as they’re a big part of how we communicate, connect, and shape our online world today.

Popular Memes and Their Meanings

The Internet’s extensive existence has allowed users to generate millions of memes. These include famous people, movie characters, influences, and hilarious pictures of animals or phenomena. Let’s make an overview of the best memes of all time and see how the trends have changed over the years.

Distracted Boyfriend

The hilarious meme originated with a 2015 stock shot by Spanish photographer Antonio Guillem. In fact, he had no idea it would go viral. Moreover, Guillem hadn’t even heard of memes when his creation became popular online.

The picture depicts a guy checking out another female as his partner appears resentful of such behavior. It all started on Facebook in 2017, when a Turkish group exploited the photo to mock Phil Collins. The most fascinating fact is that this meme is still going strong today.

Drake Hotline Bling Shots

Many funny mems are based on cultural phenomena and inside jokes. Therefore, when some new content becomes available on the Internet, users can find something to make fun of and generate the idea for an amusing meme. This happened with the release of Drake’s video for the song Hotline Bling. This event has got a name: “Drakeposting.”

Basically, there are two shots. In the first, Drake uses a gesture to discard a faulty notion. In the second, he cheerfully accepts an excellent option. The variants for the text are countless. One of the popular descriptions is something like this: “Learning English for good grades vs. learning English to understand memes.”

Expanding Brain

One of the really funny memes was born around 2017 when users on Tumblr and 4chan started bragging about their high IQ scores. Images of various brain sizes jokingly depict the progression of thoughts from basic to sophisticated, using a sequence of graphics depicting various degrees of mental or spiritual awareness. 

The final stage shows the most “enlightened” thinking through ridiculous phrases to highlight the foolishness of some actions we all do as human beings. One early example was the “who-whom-whom’st-whomst’d” pattern. As the meme is based on smart sarcasm, that’s why it’s become so popular.

Futurama Fry

This is one of the most relatable and funniest memes of all time. The meme, which began in 2011, depicts Fry, a character from the well-known cartoon series “Futurama.” He stands with narrowed eyes, mulling opposing thoughts that playfully relate to current topics or satire. 

Another famous rendition depicts Fry decisively and excitedly grasping cash and yelling, “Shut up and take my money!” This meme is commonly used to denote a desire to acquire a product presented online that appears irresistibly tempting.

Young Thug and Computer

One of the hilarious American memes sparked when Young Thug and Lil Durk (famous American rappers) posted pictures of themselves in the music studio. What’s so funny about making music? 

The thing is that while Young Thug takes over the computer and intensely stares at a screen, Lil Durk has a wide-eyed stare as if he doesn’t know what’s happening. So, the online community has numerous ideas about what they’re working on. One of the funniest descriptions would go like this: “My mom who doesn’t know her Facebook password; me trying to guess the password.”

One Does Not Simply

The famous movie, The Lord of the Rings, has generated numerous funny pictures. One of the star examples of the movie memes is Boromir, who says, “One does not simply walk into Mordor,” emphasizing the risk of the endeavor. In addition, a specific gesture and hand placement have contributed to the scene’s virality.

Usually, the meme depicts Boromir with the statement “One does not simply…” followed by a specific task. This makes the meme a hit, demonstrating the difficulty of accomplishing seemingly simple tasks.

Learning English through Memes

Memes aren’t just entertaining pieces of content. In fact, they can be a helpful tool in learning English more enjoyably. You don’t have to be constantly reading, writing, and completing listening tasks. Sometimes, all you need is a few minutes to scroll through some funny English memes. This little break will give you an excellent opportunity to gain new knowledge and have a good laugh.

• Using Memes to Improve Vocabulary

One of the advantages of implementing memes in daily English learning routines is the ability to stay current with emerging language and cultural trends. By viewing popular memes, you can explore a wide range of vocabulary that you might not find in traditional textbooks. In addition, presenting new words in a humorous and memorable context makes it easier to remember and use them correctly. 

• Contextual Learning with Memes

Learning with meme characters from movies or shows allows you to see how natives speak in everyday settings. The combination of text and images emphasizes the meaning and usage of new terms. This way, you’ll be more likely to memorize and apply them more actively. By connecting funny pics with routine tasks and errands, you can enhance your language skills, as in this case, memes become relevant to real-life situations.

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History Memes: The Evolution of Memes

Memes have a long history that predates their virality on the Internet. In fact, Richard Dawkins was the first to introduce this word in his 1976 book “The Selfish Gene.” Inspired by the word “gene,” Dawkins coined this new term to describe how concepts may also apply to how ideas and trends spread, a process known as memetics. Let’s take a closer look at the memes’ progression and their impact on online society.

Early Internet Memes

We’ve already seen the most popular memes in the present-day online community. What about old memes? The “Dancing Baby,” often called the “Baby Cha-Cha-Cha,” is widely regarded as the first major Internet meme. This 3D animated baby dancing video went viral in 1996. People began distributing it via emails and early online forums, so soon the video gained popularity, becoming a cultural phenomenon.

Advice Dog is another example of the classic memes. A happy puppy snout is laid on a multicolored wheel background with awkward directions to do something. It all started on a Mario fan site when a user asked how to prepare for the first kiss. A creative participant of the forum responded in a hilarious way. He added a photo of their Labrador with a pretty facial expression and simply wrote, “Just Do It.” This hilarious image was later upgraded with a rainbow backdrop and other wisdom texts.

Modern Memes and Their Spread

Memes that are actually funny are getting shared over the Internet pretty fast. Their humor can be specific, addressing current events, pop culture, or everyday life, making them easily identifiable to online groups. For instance, users love memes featuring the Kardashian family, like Kim’s crying face, and other celebrities, like Killian Murphy’s resting face. In addition, animals are still popular – you can find different cute or grumpy snouts with funny texts.

Promova: Join the Eager Community to Learn English Enjoyably

Do you happen to stay still when someone shows you a meme? Silence. Confusion. While your friend may explain it to you, yet, it’s not the same experience if you don’t know the language. Do you want to understand the best memes on the Internet? Start learning English with Promova, a comprehensive platform that brings zealous students together to achieve one shared goal – mastering the language and becoming fluent in expressions. What you can explore with Promova:

• 1×1 lessons with certified tutors. An individual approach will help you achieve advanced results, as all the focus is on you, and the program is designed to match your language development.
• Group lessons. The engaging environment of eager students can boost your motivation to learn harder while exchanging ideas, opinions, and practicing English speaking.
• Online courses. The self-study program provides real-life vocabulary and essential spelling and grammar rules in sequential, easy-to-handle lessons. It’s available on the app and web.
• Conversation club. Join speaking sessions on the relevant topics weekly for free. It’s available on the web version.

You can access the basic app without paying anything. If you want to experience better features, you may opt for a Premium subscription. 1×1 lessons and group lessons are available on both versions. It’s high time to get a grasp of English memes and enhance your enjoyment of learning the language!

Conclusion

Learning English doesn’t have to be all about tedious grammar and spelling classes. Delve into real-life spoken English through memes. Thanks to social media, you can find the funniest memes ever to enhance your language command and have a little giggle. This way, you can explore slang, idioms, and trending words, as well as stay updated with current realities.